The dignity of risk and the mentally retarded.

Abstract

In Denmark and Sweden, there is a growing interest in granting mentally retarded persons their fair and prudent share of risk-taking in their daily living. Denying the mentally retarded exposure to normal risks commensurate with their functioning tends to have a deleterious effect on both their sense of human dignity and their personal development. In addition, the removal of all risk diminishes the retarded in the eyes of others. The author seeks to show how appropriate and reasonable risk-taking can and should be worked into the daily living experiences of the mentally retarded in America.